Students with disabilities

Question:
How many students with disabilities receive services?

Response:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 1975, mandates that children and youth ages 3–21 with disabilities be provided a free and appropriate public school education. The percentage of total public school enrollment that represents children served by federally supported special education programs increased from 8.3 percent to 13.8 percent between 1976–77 and 2004–05. Much of this overall increase can be attributed to a rise in the percentage of students identified as having specific learning disabilities from 1976–77 (1.8 percent) to 2004–05 (5.7 percent). The overall percentage of students being served in programs for those with disabilities decreased between 2004–05 (13.8 percent) and 2013–14 (12.9 percent). However, there were different patterns of change in the percentages served with some specific conditions between 2004–05 and 2013–14. The percentage of children identified as having other health impairments (limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes) rose from 1.1 to 1.6 percent of total public school enrollment, the percentage with autism rose from 0.4 to 1.1 percent, and the percentage with developmental delay rose from 0.7 to 0.8 percent. The percentage of children with specific learning disabilities declined from 5.7 percent to 4.5 percent of total public school enrollment during this period.

Children 3 to 21 years old served under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, by type of disability: Selected years, 1976–77 through 2013–14

Type of disability

1976–77

1980–81

1990–91

2000–01

2001–02

2002–03

2003–04

2004–05

2005–06

2006–07

2007–081

2008–091

2009–10

2010–11

2011–12

2012–13

2013–14

Number served (in thousands)

All disabilities

3,694

4,144

4,710

6,296

6,407

6,523

6,634

6,720

6,718

6,687

6,597

6,483

6,481

6,436

6,401

6,429

6,464

Autism

–

–

–

93

114

137

163

191

223

258

296

336

378

417

455

498

538

Deaf-blindness

–

3

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

Developmental delay

–

–

–

213

242

283

305

332

339

333

357

354

368

382

393

402

410

Emotional disturbance

283

347

389

480

483

485

489

489

477

464

442

420

407

390

373

362

354

Hearing impairment

88

79

58

77

78

78

79

79

79

80

79

78

79

78

78

77

77

Intellectual disability

961

830

534

624

616

602

593

578

556

534

500

478

463

448

435

430

425

Multiple disabilities

–

68

96

131

136

138

140

140

141

142

138

130

131

130

132

133

132

Orthopedic impairment

87

58

49

82

83

83

77

73

71

69

67

70

65

63

61

59

56

Other health impairment2

141

98

55

303

350

403

464

521

570

610

641

659

689

716

743

779

817

Preschool disabled3

†

†

390

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

Specific learning disabilities

796

1,462

2,129

2,860

2,861

2,848

2,831

2,798

2,740

2,665

2,569

2,476

2,431

2,361

2,303

2,277

2,264

Speech or language impairment

1,302

1,168

985

1,388

1,391

1,412

1,441

1,463

1,468

1,475

1,454

1,426

1,416

1,396

1,373

1,356

1,334

Traumatic brain injury

–

–

–

16

22

22

23

24

24

25

25

26

25

26

26

26

26

Visual impairment

38

31

23

29

28

29

28

29

29

29

29

29

29

28

28

28

28

Number served as a percent of total enrollment4

All disabilities

8.3

10.1

11.4

13.3

13.4

13.5

13.7

13.8

13.7

13.6

13.4

13.2

13.1

13.0

12.9

12.9

12.9

Autism

–

–

–

0.2

0.2

0.3

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

Deaf-blindness

–

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

#

Developmental delay

–

–

–

0.5

0.5

0.6

0.6

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.7

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.8

Emotional disturbance

0.6

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

1.0

0.9

0.9

0.9

0.8

0.8

0.8

0.7

0.7

Hearing impairment

0.2

0.2

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

Intellectual disability

2.2

2.0

1.3

1.3

1.3

1.2

1.2

1.2

1.1

1.1

1.0

1.0

0.9

0.9

0.9

0.9

0.9

Multiple disabilities

–

0.2

0.2

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

0.3

Orthopedic impairment

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

Other health impairment2

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.6

0.7

0.8

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.2

1.3

1.3

1.4

1.4

1.5

1.6

1.6

Preschool disabled3

†

†

0.9

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

†

Specific learning disabilities

1.8

3.6

5.2

6.1

6.0

5.9

5.8

5.7

5.6

5.4

5.2

5.0

4.9

4.8

4.7

4.6

4.5

Speech or language impairment

2.9

2.9

2.4

2.9

2.9

2.9

3.0

3.0

3.0

3.0

2.9

2.9

2.9

2.8

2.8

2.7

2.7

Traumatic brain injury

–

–

–

#

#

#

#

#

#

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

Visual impairment

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

0.1

– Not available.
†Not applicable.
# Rounds to zero.1Data do not include Vermont, for which 2007–08 and 2008–09 data were not available. In 2006–07, the total number of 3- to 21-year-olds served in Vermont was 14,010.2Other health impairments include having limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems such as a heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes.3For 1990–91, preschool children are not included in the counts by disability condition, but are separately reported. For other years, preschool children are included in the counts by disability condition.4Based on the total enrollment in public schools, prekindergarten through 12th grade.

NOTE: Prior to October 1994, children and youth with disabilities were served under Chapter 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as well as under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B. Data reported in this table for years prior to 1994–95 include children ages 0–21 served under Chapter 1. Data are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia only. Increases since 1987–88 are due in part to new legislation enacted in fall 1986, which added a mandate for public school special education services for 3- to 5-year-old children with disabilities. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.